Hi all,
We conclude this little study of how the Creator uses creation to try to reach mankind. He cannot violate free will, so He uses events in nature to try to get man’s attention. This becomes especially true in the last 7 years of this age.
The disciples had asked In Matthew 24: 1-8: “When will one (temple) stone not be left on another? And a second question: “What would be the signs leading up to your return at the end of the age?”
Those are 2 questions. Luke was led to answer the first in detail in Luke 21, which happened in the year 70 and Israel was dispersed into the nations. Jesus prophesied in v24: “And Jerusalem will be trodden down (controlled) by Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled.” (Israel took control in 1967) Matthew however, was led to record Jesus’ answer to the 2nd question about His return.
He answered:
“Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many places. But this is only the start of birth pains. (labor pains)” (v7-8)
We miss what every Jewish reader of Matthew would have noticed right away. In Judaism, the last 7 years of the age is called ‘Birth pangs of Messiah’, with various disasters on a smaller scale preceding the ‘big contractions’. There are many Jewish names for that specific time, including ‘The time of Jacob’s Trouble’ (Jeremiah 30: 7), and ‘the days of wrath’.
Paul wrote in I Thessalonians 1: 10 and 5:9 that we are not destined for, and have been delivered out of, ‘the days of wrath’. We don’t realize when he uses that term he is talking about a specific 7 years at the end of the age. We miss that Jewish phrase for what we call ‘the tribulation.’
During the birth pangs of Messiah we see the earth convulsing even more, with the reference to famines being about weather patterns changing. Earthquakes and volcanos are in the same category, so Jesus here puts increased activity around the time of the start of the ‘tribulation’.
If we were spending time on Matthew 24
We would see it clearly: It starts in v8 where Jesus says these things are the start of the birth pangs of Messiah. In v15 the man of sin enters the temple, Jesus confirming the classic understanding of Daniel’s prophecy that he betrays Israel 3 1/2 years into a 7 year peace treaty. The 7 year time ends in v29-31 with His return. Verse 8 is the start, v15 the mid-point, v29-31 the end.
Jesus said famines (weather patterns changing) and earthquakes in particular would be greater than normal, identifying them as birth pangs of Messiah. The earth is travailing in birth even more as the time of His return approaches, and Creator is trying to get mankind’s attention.
Let us look at the Creator’s use of nature in The Revelation.
But first, a ‘rabbit trail’ to consider some man-made disasters and some questions to ponder:
In The Revelation 6: 1-8 the 4 horsemen are released, and what they bring is strictly man-made: They are white, red, black and green (pale in some translations, but green in Greek) embodied in 1 person. He seems righteous, but brings war, which results in massive inflation, famine and death.
It should also be noted the method of execution in the Roman Empire was beheading for criminal citizens. It is stated in The Revelation 20:4 that is the method used in that area of the world in the last 7 years. Interesting in our day it is the method of execution used by militant muslims.
I’ll also mention the 4 colors of the horses: White, red, black, green, are the colors of many nation’s flags whose primary religion is muslim. (Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Palestine, Syria, Afghanistan, Western Sarah, Sudan, UAE, etc) Each color represents a past caliphate. I wonder if the apostle is seeing European federal government run by a European muslim who will at first appear peaceful, then turn aggressive to take over the EU? Pan-Arab colors – Wikipedia
Interesting to think about, but let’s get back to the Creator using creation:
Besides the man-made disasters brought on by war: The Revelation 8: 7 says fire will fall from the sky that will burn 1/3 of trees and grass. In 16: 8-9 it says fire from the sun will burn people.
In The Revelation 8: 8-13 the earth receives a double asteroid/comet hit. One appears to fall into an ocean and one on land. The result is 1/3 of fresh water sources become contaminated and 1/3 of sun, moon, and star light are blocked. It says 1/3 of day and night were darkened. We know in our times that would be a gigantic column of dirt and water thrown into the air, causing a world-wide cloud in the upper atmosphere that would block 1/3 of light from the sun reaching earth.
Consider the natural disaster! Crops will fail, global temperatures will drop. This part is not in Europe only, which is where the man of sin will rule. This is going to be a world-wide event. The end of chapter 8 says an angel will cry out “Woe, woe, woe to those on earth!” That’s how bad this double asteroid/comet hit will be!
Chapter 9
9:1 starts where the angel crying ‘woe’ ends, continuing with the results of having this double asteroid hit. It describes in the first 6 verses a huge cloud of dust and dirt, a cloud that blocks the sun, ‘like smoke out of a great furnace.’ He sees disease that comes from that cloud which will affect people for 5 months. It will be very painful, so that those afflicted will cry out to die, describing pain in v6 like a scorpion sting. It’s interesting scientists have speculated that in the case of an asteroid hit, it would throw massive amounts of dirt into the atmosphere, and that any number of bacterial diseases could afflict mankind as a result.
God the Creator, when men have rejected Him as their Creator, steps in to use nature to cause mankind to reconsider and repent. Remember again what I shared in part 1: Knowing Him as Creator is the most basic form of knowing the Lord.
Yet after all these disasters this is what is observed:
“And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither did they repent of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.” The Revelation 9: 19-21
“And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, who has power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.” The Revelation 16:9
“And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.” The Revelation 16:11
Repentance is the first word of salvation. It always has been. In Hebrews 6:1-2 it is listed as first in the foundational teachings of Christ. The earth has been delegated to mankind, and many have seen creation but refused to acknowledge the Creator. As Creator, He can’t violate free will, but He can use what He has retained in His own power to get man’s attention – the power of nature. In the last 7 years before the Lord returns, the Creator will show Himself as Creator, in the hope mankind will repent and acknowledge Him as God.
We are not yet in those last 7 years, so what we see is nature groaning in labor pains, longing to be set free from the sin it was subjected to. Earthquakes, storms, volcanos and more are the result of these birth pangs. But there is yet a time future, when asteroids hit, the earth’s magnetic field fails, the sun will scorch the earth – and that will be the time for people to turn to the Creator in repentance.
Interesting times in which we live!
New subject next week, until then, blessings,
John Fenn
